FORT OF KALINJAR AND ITS MEDIEVAL STRUCTURES by Salim Zaweed

FORT OF KALINJAR AND ITS MEDIEVAL STRUCTURES

Mohd Salim Zaweed

The Celebrated hill fort of Kalinjar (Kalanjar) is presently situated in the village of Tarahati under the Naraini tahsil(District Banda) around 20 miles south west of tahsil and 33 miles south east of Banda inBundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh on the border with Madhya Pradesh. It stands on an isolated flat-topped hill of the Vindhya Range, which rises to a height of 244mtrs above the plain. The fort is aligned in an east-west direction, being nearly a mile in length and half a mile in breadth. Built on strong 25-30 metre wide foundations, this Chandela fort has a height of around 30-25 metre with a summit which is 8 metres wide. It has a length of 7.5 km. The material used in its construction is the large sand stone and granite pieces put over each other with an occasional use of lime mortar as cementing material.

Nizamuddin writes that,

"this fort was unparalleled in the whole of Hindustan for strength".

Similarly Arif Qandhari, describing this fort writes:

"Kalinjar is one of the strongest and highest forts of Hindustan. Its edifices too were the envy of paradise, its balconies were likewise the envy thereof, its crenelles excelled the constellation plebeians (in Turus) and the depth of its moats was greater than even the very bottom of the earth. The breeze, carrying the clouds trembles to touch its courtyards, and the world covering lightining too genuflects its knee in its depth".

In the similar fashion, Hasan Nizami(A.D. 1205-12 17) gives the account of investment of Kalinjar by Qutubuddin Aibek 6 in his Tajul-Maathir states that:

"The fort of Kalinjar which was celebrated throughout the world for being as strong as the wall of Alexander was taken".

Bringing Bundelkhand to the World.
बुंदेलखंड का सर्वप्रथम ऑनलाइन वेब पोर्टल
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